Space Capsule Expected to Yield Some Useful Data Despite Crash

New York Times 09/10/04
author: Warren E. Leary
c. 2004 New York Times Company

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 - Scientists are optimistic that they will retrieve useful information from the smashed capsule that fell to earth in the Utah desert after three years in space, officials said Thursday.

Officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the crushed sample canister holding billions of solar particles collected 930,000 miles out in space was being assessed in the controlled environment of a laboratory at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. After peeking through a crack in the container, officials said some of the collector plates holding the solar samples appeared to be intact while others were pulverized on impact.

The $264 million Genesis mission, which had gone smoothly since its launching in 2001, ended in disappointment on Wednesday when two parachutes failed to open after the sample capsule returned on schedule from space. The 450-pound, disc-shaped capsule slammed into the sand and mud of the desert at 193 miles per hour, cracking open at the seams as it buried itself halfway into the ground.

There seems to be a string of failures lately. I wonder what the working environment is like, and if this is just the result of cost cutting. To few dollars spread among to few people, type thing. Small teams can only do so much, sometimes you just need people to get the job done.